Church Council Meeting
Tuesday, March 15 at 7:00pm via Zoom (contact office for details)
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we have sought to be safe, connected, inclusive and loving as we made decisions about how to gather. We have focused on layers of protection, practices to keep us safe as we began to worship in person and ultimately in the sanctuary. Those layers have included: confidence that most of our members and friends are fully vaccinated, a new air purification system in the sanctuary, social distancing, hybrid worship, a cautious approach to singing, and wearing masks. We have tried to listen carefully to one another, and to honor that each of us assesses risk based on our unique factors.
As COVID numbers drop, it is time to gather to look at our next steps—to listen to one another, consider our practices, and reaffirm our commitment to being safe, connected, inclusive and loving. The Phasing Forward team will be meeting in coming weeks to consider possibilities, and will guide us in conversation and decision-making at our next Church Council meeting.
This is an open meeting! While our by-laws require that voting is limited to members of church council (representing officers, boards and committees), it is the conversation that matters most. Please come. Bring your questions, your ideas, and your hopes.
Key Inventory and Key Return
Please fill out this form if you have any keys
In the past several years we have distributed many keys to church members with various responsibilities on Sunday mornings and beyond. Currently, there are very few church members who actually need the keys they have to fulfill their volunteer responsibilities. If you were previously a trustee, deacon, or Sunday school teacher, you may have forgotten to return your keys at the end of your term. We have handwritten key logs going back many years, but we are working on a new system of organization and distribution. In order to strengthen our safety and security on campus, it is important to know who has keys. If everyone returns what they don’t need, it will save some money and reduce the number of keys out in the world. If you attend church on Sunday, you can return your keys directly to Nicola. Otherwise we can arrange for a drop-off. Thank you for helping us get our inventory up-to-date!
Church Directory, 2022 Edition
Update your listing here
The Edwards Church Directory is a small printed pamphlet distributed only at the church. Not surprisingly, it hasn’t been updated since February of 2020. It’s time for the next edition! This directory is not published online or shared with the public, although Nicola will provide a pdf copy to anyone who requests it. Please take some time to check your listing in our most recent directory, and if you have moved or changed your phone number or email, please fill out the form by the end of March. If you are new to the community, we hope you will opt in to our directory; you can pick and choose how much information to share. Feel free to contact Nicola with any questions or concerns.
Lenten Devotional 2022: Out of the Waters…
Sign up here
Again this year, Edwards Church will create our own Lenten Devotional, with a reflection available each day during Lent (via email, snail mail, facebook, and on the website). We need your creativity to make this happen! Your reflections could be in the form of a prayer, a poem, a paragraph, a photograph, or something we have not yet imagined! Our theme this year is “Out of the Waters…” Here are a few ideas:
- Submit a photograph or a drawing of water. You can tell the story of the photograph, or let it stand on its own.
- Tell a story about a body of water, real or imagined.
- Tell a story about an experience you had with water.
- Talk about a time you experienced being refreshed, healed, or restored.
- Talk about a time you felt your heart melt.
Each devotion includes scripture and a short prayer. Debbie and Karen Nell are happy to add those in to your reflection, or you can do that yourself. Your reflection does not need to be long. If you have a picture, you might choose to have only a very few words. In general, written reflections should be 200-500 words.
March Special Offering: One Great Hour of Sharing
One Great Hour of Sharing is one of four special mission offerings of the United Church of Christ. Your generous gift to One Great Hour of Sharing enables our church and our worldwide partners to make a difference in the lives and communities around the world. Together, we are responding to disasters, supporting sustainable farming, education, and health initiatives, as well as pitching in to assist people fleeing violence from their home communities.
Chancel Flowers: Sharing your houseplants
Sign up here
As we continue developing our indoor worship style, we invite members of the congregation to help decorate the chancel with flowers each Sunday. You can dedicate flowers in honor or in memory of a loved one. Recently, Joanie White offered to bring in a small potted orchid that was in bloom at her house. The plant was beautiful; it costs nothing to bring something you already have; and bringing a plant from home is a great way to share your passions with the community. With Earth Day coming up in April, it seemed a good time to put out an invitation to the congregation to bring a plant (or plants) from home to display during worship. The plants do not have to be in bloom as Joanie’s was. Of course, we still welcome flowers in the chancel and encourage anyone interested to sign up fro a Sunday. If online sign-up doesn’t work for you, please contact Nicola for assistance.